Hey, peeps! :D Here's a little series of one shots to complement the new series I'm working on with queenpearl! :) Hope you enjoy these lighthearted and very funny stories! :D
Chapter 1 - Fish Fancy
The first thing that Nathan James realized when he woke was that something was off.
He slowly opened his eyes, shifting and looking around him. He looked to the left, noting his wife sleeping comfortably next to him. Her body was nestled against his side and he smiled a bit. But when he looked to the right, he noticed that his son was missing.
"Dammit…" he muttered.
He yawned widely and finally lowered himself a bit, feeling the mooring lines slack as he stretched a bit.
Beside his superstructure, Dr. Rachel Scott-James, his wife, opened her eyes and sat up, the blanket falling around her shoulders and revealing her tank top. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"The kid's missing again," Nathan muttered, looking down at her.
The virologist pursed her lips as she got up and walked over to his bow, looking out. "Oh, for crying out loud!"
A sudden cheep was heard as a small blur of grey darted past, followed by a very pissed off cruiser. "Get back here, you brat!" the cruiser shouted, his face full of fish guts.
Both human and destroyer gaped at the sight. Nathan sighed and shook his bow before he looked at Dr. Scott. She nodded and slowly untied the mooring lines tied to his middle and stern while he nipped his own bow mooring lines. Once he was free from the dock, he started his engines and sailed up to the cruiser.
"What happened?" he asked.
"That son of yours splattered fish guts on me!" the other vessel growled as he bared his teeth.
Off to the side, Nathan saw a small shape peeping out from behind a large freighter who was sound asleep. The little shipling was not even a full year, being only ten months of age. He was small, but he was clearly starting to grow. His body and hull design reflected his father's model, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, but with slightly sharper angles and on his bow was a small turret forming, complete with a new type of gun. What type was unknown, for when he reached full maturity would they know. His missile hatches were fully formed, and as was customary for little warships, they had been filled with dummy missiles that launched like the real deal so they'd get used to the feeling. On his stern were two little hangars, but as of right now they were just starting to form.
The one thing he got from his mother was her blue eyes, and her curiosity. But he got his pranking streak from his father.
And said pranking streak got him into trouble a lot. Especially with bigger ships and older shiplings.
"Chandler Scott-James, get over here right now!" Dr. Scott snapped.
The shipling whimpered as he hid behind the big freighter.
"Now, young man!" Nathan ordered.
Chandler inched out, although it was plain to see he was scared, judging by the way his hull was shaking. He made his way to his parents and came to a stop in front of them.
"You ought to be ashamed," Nathan said. He glared sternly at his son as Chandler looked down, nosing at a piece of seaweed drifting close by. His bow turned a deep red.
"How did you get fish guts on you?" Dr. Scott asked the cruiser.
He grimaced. "I caught him eating a dead fish and next thing I knew, he threw up and spat fish guts all over my face!" he said.
"Chandler! I told you countless times, do not eat dead fish! It'll make you sick!"
The shipling nodded, whimpering before cheeping in sadness.
"C'mon." Nathan grabbed the small shipling by his mast gently and lifted him out of the water, sailing back to his dock and letting him go on the dock itself.
Chandler squeaked and began to wriggle helplessly, cheeping desperately.
"Nathan, are you sure?" Dr. Scott asked as she watched the little shipling wriggle like a fish out of water.
"He won't stay there for long. Just enough," Nathan assured her. It was only for a minute, and when he lifted Chandler back into the water, the shipling cheeped happily and darted over to his father, nuzzling him in relief.
"I know. You don't like it, little one…" he said soothingly. "But it's only for a short while. I just want you to grow up to be a good man." He nuzzled his son lovingly. "And I really am looking out for you."
Chandler cheeped happily and licked his father as his mother leaned down and scratched the top of his little mast; his height brought his mast to about his father's deck amidships. Chandler purred in his little engines as he closed his eyes and smiled, a lower purr vibrating somewhere inside him.
The cruiser on the other hand, grimaced as he sailed off. "Ick! I hate fish guts!"
"Try the power wash!" Dr. Scott called. "It'll clean that off!"
"Thanks!" the cruiser shouted back gratefully.
Of course though, Chandler wasn't through yet.
The fish guts were just the tip of the iceberg.